Abolish Ministry of Railways?

Indian Railways is the best possible example of a pure public good and leaving it at the hands of private operators, even to the limited extent as the author suggests is a recipe for disaster. With all the Oil companies being nationalized and the subsequent deregulations all we are experiencing is very high prices.

If Indian Railways is privatized, the impact on the smaller and rural sectors will be huge. Just because of some political considerations we can’t take away/toy with a national asset like Railways. The ministry needs to be run more efficiently and that goes without saying. But looking at the recent track records of other ministries, like Telecom with its ultra-corporate outlook, we all know what that ends up in. The railways are probably the largest and last symbols of a socialist India, and giving up that would have serious consequences.